Cop Linked To Langkawi Drug Syndicate Transferred Pending Probe

ALOR SETAR, May 18 (Bernama) -- A police personnel suspected of being involved in a drug trafficking syndicate in Langkawi has been transferred with immediate effect to allow for a transparent investigation. 

Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah, however, stressed that the transfer was not intended to protect or shield the police personnel, as a detailed investigation is ongoing. 

“The assumption that the drug trafficking syndicate in Langkawi is on the same level as Pablo Escobar is inaccurate. I do not deny that there are elements of drug distribution on the island, and that is why it is under police investigation. 

“As the state police chief, and on behalf of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), I will not protect anyone, whether senior officers or personnel, who are involved in drug-related activities,” he said in a press conference at the Kedah police contingent headquarters here today. 

He said the transfer was made in the public interest, adding that another suspect, known as ‘Bagok’, aged 47, was arrested on Saturday. 

“We will not compromise. As proof, from January 2023 to April this year, a total of 54 officers and personnel have been detained under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, of whom 38 have been charged,” Adzli said. 

Recently, it was reported that following the death of Langkawi’s ‘Pablo Escobar’, known as Mat Nahar, six years ago, another drug trafficking network operating in an organised manner has emerged in Langkawi, allegedly masterminded by a police personnel known as ‘Mr A’. 

Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had earlier refuted reports likening drug trafficking activities in Langkawi to international cartel operations. 

He was reported as saying that the magnitude of drug trafficking on the resort island cannot be compared to drug cartels led by Pablo Escobar, who controlled an extensive and complex drug distribution network. 

-- BERNAMA